Aviation Buffs Lovingly Keep Vintage Military Aircraft Flying

Weikel, Dan, The Charleston Gazette (Charleston, WV)

LOS ANGELES - On the west side of Van Nuys Airport it's like
World War II never ended.

Vintage propeller planes once flown by U.S. Navy, Army Air Corps
and Royal Air Force pilots are parked wingtip to wingtip along the
taxiway. Nearby buildings are painted in camouflage. The sound of
swing music sometimes drifts across the tarmac, and olive drab
flight jackets are de rigueur.

The planes and buildings belong to Condor Squadron, a nonprofit
organization dedicated to honoring America's veterans and the public
display of the North American AT-6/SNJ Texan - a sturdy two-seater
that helped train tens of thousands of military pilots during World
War II and the Korean War.

The group and its members own eight of the planes, making Van
Nuys the site of one of the largest collections of such aircraft in
the nation.

Bearing authentic U.S. and German markings, the squadron's AT-6s
regularly appear in local parades, veterans events, memorial
services and mock attacks on the Lane Victory, a refurbished
military cargo ship that offers day cruises to the public from the
Port of Los Angeles. In October, they flew in formation over a
playoff game at Dodger Stadium during the close of the national
anthem.

"If you are preserving and flying the AT-6, my hat is off to
you," said Harold Cannon, president of Warbirds of America, a 5,000-
member division of the Experimental Aircraft Association. "It's
important to preserve that portion of our history. It's a great
plane that trained the pilots who helped win the war."

The Condor Squadron was founded at Van Nuys in 1965 by Walter
Morrison, who flew P-40 Warhawks in North Africa, and attorney
Richard T. Sykes, who completed 50 combat missions over Europe in a
P-38 Lightning.

It started out as a flying club, air show act and member of the
Civil Air Patrol, an auxiliary unit of the U.S. Air Force that
performed search-and-rescue missions.

Several of its pilots, including Sykes, also flew in the AT-6
category at the National Air Races, a competition that member Rob
"Hollywood" Sandberg and Condor President Chris Rushing still enter.

Over the years, the squadron dropped out of the Civil Air Patrol
and increasingly concentrated on air shows, charity events and other
community activities, including an annual Easter egg hunt for the
public on the organization's grounds. More than 1,500 eggs are
hidden and the Easter bunny arrives via helicopter.

The present group has more than 50 members, including many
experienced pilots, but time in the air is not always required. Some
members were recruited for their mechanical skills to help keep the
aging planes aloft.

They get together regularly at their headquarters off Hayvenhurst
Avenue, which is part clubhouse, briefing room and watering hole. …

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